Smile
by ClaudiaCleland
Summary: #TeamRobert: This is a romance about Robert and Rory. I read Nick Holmes had been auditioning for Gilmore Girls since the pilot and I want to give his character Robert the big chance he never had before.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**

Most characters, settings and some dialogues are property of the creators of Gilmore Girls. Because I am not a native English speaker I will try to do my best with the help of my lovely beta LindaProsser1. This story is not written to make money. There should be mature content in the story, because I think Nick would like it dirty ;)

This is a romance about **Robert and Rory**. Please leave the story now if you don't like this pairing. There a lots of other great stories out there you could read.

I read Nick Holmes had been auditioning for Gilmore Girls since the pilot and I want to give his character Robert the big chance he never had before. Nick told in an interview he's #Team Robert and he's going to be #Team Robert until he dies. Hopefully there are readers out there who like this idea as much as I'm after I saw some up-to-date pictures of him. He got really hot!

Thank you for reading and I hope you will enjoy it a little bit.

…..

 **I'm not sure if there are readers out there who would read a story about Robert and Rory, because I found none with this pairing so far. Therefore I thought I give it a try. I leave the first chapter I wrote here for the next weeks. Please comment if you would like me to continue this story and I will. Thanks, ClaudiaCleland.**

 **1 Chapter**

After the Obama Campaign trail, Rory finally managed to get a job at the New York Times. She was able to buy a small apartment in Manhattan when she got her trust fund at the age of 25. Sometimes she thinks back to her days at Yale and her adventures with the Life and Death Brigade (LDB). After Logan gave her the ultimatum and she declined his proposal, Rory never heard from the LDB boys again. She liked the boys, but naturally they stuck to Logan. Nevertheless, the hardworking bookworm changes like a chameleon to a small party animal clubbing on the weekends. Most of the times Lane invites her to come to the clubs where her new band plays while Zack or Lane's mother babysits the twins.

Rory and Lane are arriving at the new club "Ready for…" in Manhattan.

"Strange name for a club," Rory says, reading the sign at the entrance.

"Yeah, sounds weird! Ready for what?" Lane replies, "But I heard the music is different from other clubs and the furnishings and equipment are cool."

Both ladies finally managed to get in after standing in line for more than one hour.

"Hopefully it was worth the wait," Rory says while walking into the club. She looks around; the floor of the first room is black and white, with big portrait pictures of stars on the red brick walls. The wooden ceiling is beautiful highlighting the warm atmosphere of the club.

"Man, what's that? "Lane asks curious after they entered the second room.

"Stunning," Rory replies in awe. The whole lounge room seems like a homage to Great Britain. Timber floor, comfortable leather couches, old chandeliers and lots of pictures which look like they should belong in places in Great Britain. Rory remembers some places from her visits in London. But her favorite are the huge bookshelves filled with different kinds of books.

"That's not fair," Lane teases. "This should be ladies' night not book night."

"Hm…" Rory replies distracted while checking the books.

"Hey, Rory, the drinks are also typically British. Want to try something new?" Lane shouts on her way to the bar.

Rory is distracted by the books. Lane comes back, smirking devilishly. "I found something you should like."

Fortunately, the cocktail looks delicious, it is a thick orange liquid in a martini glass with half of a passion fruit shell floating as the garnish.

"It's called a Pornstar Martini," Lane smirks.

"This fits the evening," Lane states, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Rory swallows up, "What?"

"Relax Rory, I thought it wouldn't hurt to flirt today and hook up with a sexy gentleman. You work so hard and you never seem to have time for men. Logan was your last boyfriend where the relationship lasted longer than a month." Lane explains.

"I know, but I don't want to date men in my job, never fuck the company," Rory murmurs.

"But sex is good to lose some tension," Lane giggles with a wink.

"Oh my God," Rory blushes, "I thought you never did it again after your honeymoon."

"Well, definitely not then, but now…" Lane starts whilst her eyes sparkle.

"Okay, let drink more of this magical orgasmic cocktail to reduce my nervousness. Afterwards we can search for possible lover boys,"

Rory agrees, already slightly drunk.

As soon as they had finished their third cocktail Lane is insistent that all good things come in threes and the women walk over and sit on a couch near the dance floor.

"That man on the left side of the dance floor is cute," Lane whispers in Rory's left ear.

"Lane, you need to talk louder," Rory replies, following the cue of her friend.

"Are you kidding me? He looks similar to Zack," Rory chuckles.

"Oh, you're right," Lane smiles softly, "and the dark-haired guy next to him, with the cute smirk and beard?"

"You're my best friend, Lane, but you managed to find the one man who looks exactly like Dave Rygalski. Perhaps we should find someone for me, not for you," Rory teases.

"Okay, what kind of guy are we searching for?" Lane asks curious, because she couldn't find a man who looked like one of Rory's former partners.

"Hm..," Rory starts, "I think the appearance is not the most important thing, but he should be gorgeous in my eyes and in any case intelligent."

"Sounds like we should go back to the bookshelf and the first gentleman with a book in his hands is yours," Lane suggests smirking childishly.

Rory chuckles while looking at the bookshelf. Exactly at this moment a handsome stranger with a three-days beard and tousled dark hair walks with a book to the shelf, placing it there. "My chance," Rory thinks, strolling nervously to the man. Lane watches her.

Searching for the perfect first sentence, Rory's heart skips a beat. "Hello, I saw you used the bookshelf as a flea market?"

The stranger smiles softly, "Have you read it?"

Rory wonders which book he put on the shelf. "Which book was it?"

"Guess right and I'll show you: Business or pleasure?" The beautiful stranger asks, his voice filled with amusement.

"Considering the fact that we're in a nightclub, I would guess pleasure," Rory replies interested.

"Sorry Rory, wrong guess," the stranger grins, starting to leave a confused Rory. "See you again when the film comes out."

As her journalistic instinct to search for hints why this man could know her name begins, he already walks to the dance floor.

Usually Rory never tries to seduce a man with dancing, but he piqued her curiosity. The alcohol helps her. She goes on the dance floor and dances up on to the stranger. The music changes to a slower beat. Rory caresses his arms gently to stop him from leaving the dance floor. "Please give me one more chance to find out who you are," she purrs.

The stranger leans in, speaks softly in her ear: "My entire goal in life is to outlive my brother, inherit the family fortune, put all my sisters out on the street and live as frivolously as possible, have numerous wives, thousands of illegitimate children and die completely alone and leave every cent to a parrot named Polly."

"I'll be damned, Robert?" Rory feels embarrassed that she didn't recognize him. Wow, he has changed a lot in the last years. He is extremely hot!


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the lovely comments. Nice comments are always my best motivation to keep me going. As promised my second chapter of my new story (#TeamRobert), ClaudiaCleland.**

 **2 Chapter**

"Finally, I didn't think that you recognized me," Robert whispered in Rory's ear, as he pulled her closer.

Rory blushed. She started flirting, but she never thought the stranger would be one of her friends from Yale. Colin, Finn and Robert always liked to keep their schedules loose like their women. Rory was never into the no strings relationship, however a shiver wanders down her body as his hot breath tickles her neck. Robert looks enticing to her

Instead of running away as would have done in the past, Rory leans into him, smiling softly.

"Sorry, Robert, I was just thinking if you are more handsome now than you were when we were in Yale together," she smirks devilishly.

Absentmindedly she moves her left hand down his hairy chest. At first, he's surprised, but he would never stop flirting with Rory Gilmore.

"At which you totally failed," he replies grinning. "Sweetheart, we cannot talk about how handsome I am because I'm the most attractive man here tonight."

He likes the feel of her body close to his and her hand playing with the hair on his chest. Who thought that his decision to leave open the first few buttons of his gray button-down shirt would be such a turn on to Rory Gilmore?

Turned on by the feeling of the warmth of his body and their movement to the slow rhythm of the music, Rory praises the DJ for his music choices. Still obliviously caressing Robert's chest she switches to slightly small talk.

"Strange name for a club," Rory starts, remembering their earlier conversation.

"I thought you would have figured the meaning out by now," he chuckles with a wink.

"Hey, I'm not a researcher," she continues flirting.

"I thought being a reporter, research is part of your job description," Robert teases.

He's enjoying the slow dance and he starts to caress Rory's back gently. With his other hand, he signals the DJ to continue to play slow music.

"Have you signaled for the DJ to get help?" She giggles.

The cocktails she had earlier tasted incredible, but slowly she was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol in her veins.

"Not at all, I just thought it would be great if he could continue to dance to the slow music since I have such a beautiful woman in my arms," he smirks.

"Robert, I always knew you were more of narcissists than the other boys, but what makes you think the DJ would play what you want?" Rory mocks tenderly.

"Well," Robert starts, "perhaps because I pay his wages."

Clearly puzzled Rory looks at Robert while he's laughing.

"This is your club?" Rory asks impressed.

"Yes," Robert replies obviously proud.

After retaining her composure Rory continues with their banter. "Your brothers are still alive?"

"Unfortunately," he chuckles. She's not only good-looking but also witty, a nice change to his usual conquests.

"But you're already married, I suppose?" Rory continues mocking.

"I thought you would be my first?" He whispers seductively in her ear, leaning very close to her.

His words make her a shiver goes down her spine while she blushes from head to toe.

"We will see," she replies shyly. "Depends on your frivolity and the number of your children so far."

Seeing Robert's smirk growing, she's not sure if she crossed a red line. Was she ready to flirt with one of Logan's friends from New Heaven?

"You're a fascinating woman, Rory. No children yet, but definitely something we could start tonight," he wiggles his eyebrows. If she was willing to flirt with him, he would try to get the most out of it.

She tries to ignore the tingling on her neck from his breath. Smelling his unique scent, she continues to flirt with Robert.

"Perhaps we should start with buying you a parrot?" Rory suggests, smiling innocently.

"Where's the fun?" He deadpans pulling her as close as possible.

Rory likes feeling him close to her but quickly changes the conversation to his confession of owning the club.

"Okay, if you're the owner of this club what's with the strange name?"

"Reporter girl, nobody would know what I mean with in Omnia Paratus," he explains chuckling softly.

"Oh, Ready for anything! But why only "Ready for…" You could have used the whole sentence," she states.

"Sure, but I like some secrets," Robert grins. "Sorry Rory, I need to excuse myself. Do you want to sit down?"

"Sure, I just need to tell my friend Lane where I am," she answers.

Searching for Lane, Rory checks her cell. Lane wrote her a message, telling her that she already left for Rory's apartment and Rory should have fun with the gorgeous stranger. Reading the note Rory smiles mischievously.

Sitting on one of the leather couches near the bookshelves Robert returns and joins Rory, placing one arm on her shoulder.

After more bantering and obvious flirting from both sides, Robert pulls her closer until she's sitting comfortably on his lap. A little nervously she's tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Feeling his heart pounding, he reaches gently out to caress her lips with his right thumb, wandering with both hands still holding her cheeks. Rory's feeling a slight rise in her cheeks. Moving closer to her, he traces her lips tenderly with his tongue. She's slowly runs a hand through his thick dark hair. Separating her lips with his tongue, she grants him entry. She looks at his face and his green eyes gazing at her adoringly, make her melt in his kiss. Closing her eyes they deepen their kiss, he groans softly in her mouth. Exploring each other mouths with passion, hands are starting to explore each others bodies too. He can feel his arousal increasing.


	3. Chapter 3

**3 Chapter**

After her night in the club Rory felt confused. She flirted with one of Logan's best friends. Although Logan often called Robert a jerk, she knew he was one of his best friends, besides Finn and Colin. That evening reminded Rory of the proposal. She wasn't ready to marry Logan after her finals; however, she never expected to lose their friendship and never see them again.

Rory was unprepared for Logan's proposal, and she was left in shock when he gave her that ultimatum. Being totally heartbroken she was more than happy when the offer came for her to work on the campaign trail. It took her several months when she realized she lost some of her supposed close friends, the dramatic Australian Finn, the snobbish but always truthful Colin and of course Robert. Once she considered Robert, she thought about him. Everybody could describe Logan or Finn as flirts, sexy, charming and persuasive, Colin was on first sight snobbish, but he had a heart of gold. Robert on the other hand was always very polite to Rory. But he was the hardest to read.

At the end of the night Robert left, when someone called he excused himself. Rory waited till the club closed but she never saw him and he never returned to where they were sitting. She was surprised that she was looking forward to return to a club this weekend. Usually she would never go to a club by herself. Lane or sometimes even Paris would go with her when Doyle looked after their two beautiful children. Sometimes she would also go with some colleagues, however she never would go alone.

On Friday evening, she entered the club. She looks around but she does not see Robert. She walks up to the bar and decides to order a White Russian. She goes to the room with the bookshelves and sits on the coach with her cocktail.

Robert walks through his club, searching for his friends who wanted to visit his club tonight. In front of the bookshelves he chuckles. In the middle of the club sits the gorgeous Rory, absolutely lost in thoughts, and reading a book. Smiling he notices that her high heels are on the floor in front of the couch and she is relaxed with her legs tucked under her.

Leaning forwards, he whispers in her right ear, "Business or pleasure?"

She notices a shadow on her book, before she feels his hot breath and the stubble from his three-day beard tickling her.

Kissing her right cheek, he smiles as she blushes.

"Business. Hi, Robert," she smiles softly, remembering their last banter.

Generally, Robert never would be attracted to a book-worm, but seeing her relaxed at his bar warms his heart. All the other ladies would try to look as sexy as possible in a club but not Rory, she looks adorable. Here she is surrounded by loud music, reading and still looks hotter than everybody else tonight.

Taking the seat next to her, he caresses gently her knee. "Hi, Rory, have you missed me already?" He mocks, smirking.

"Oh, Robert, I wish you were the person you thought you were, too," she teases back.

The sensation of his hand on her bare skin stirs the memories of his touch from last week.

"Tonight, might be a good night to show you my deepest dreams," he wiggles with his eyebrows.

He can't help himself, but his hand wanders very slowly from her knee up her thigh.

Rory smiles, Robert only knew the shy Rory from Yale, but since then she has improved her flirting skills. She's still no temptress, but she is not as shy as she was in New Haven.

"Hershey makes a million kisses a day, I'm just asking for one," she smiles innocently, fluttering her eyelashes.

Robert chuckles. "Have you really used one of the most cliché flirting quotes I have ever heard?"

She leans forward, balancing her weight with her left hand while her right hand caresses his knee.

His heartbeat rises as her hand wanders from his knee up on his thigh near his desire for her is noticeable in his pants. Before her hand continues, she barely brushes him and continues up to his chest.

Rory enjoys his tension, she is sure that he never expected her to make the next move. Smirking her hand stops cupping his chin while she pulls him closer. Her lips pressed on his, her teeth nibble on his lower lip.

Last week one of his sisters, once again was in jail and he needed to bail her out. Fortunately, it was only, because she was drunk and forgot to pay her bill at the restaurant. He persuaded the police officers he would take care of her and he was able to bring her to his apartment where he watched her the whole night. He wondered all week if Rory would return after last weekend when he had to leave so quickly. However, he is glad that she returned

Slowly, he opens his lips enjoying Rory's gently nibbling on his lip, his tongue darts out of his mouth to explore hers. She tastes like coffee and candy.

She feels his tongue battling with hers while his arms found her waist.

Stopping for a breath, still interlocked in each other's arms, she says with a hoarse voice, "Perhaps we start the night with my deepest dreams."

Robert was used to flirting, but he never thought it would go this far, this was more than a nice surprise. He swallows hard to cushion his pleasure.

"Whatever you want, sweetheart," he replies grinning.

Playing with his chest hairs, she suggests, "I would like to dance."

Last time they danced to slow music, but this time of the night the crowd needs hip hop. Bending over she put on her shoes and he follows her to the dance floor. His hands are on her back so not to lose her on their way to the dance floor.

Entering the dance floor, she pulls him as close as possible and they continue to kiss passionately.

They continue to dance and she turns around and he feels her grinding into him. Her hips begin to draw a circle, before she bends her knee down and up against his hip. Who would have thought that the innocent shy Rory could be a dirty dancer?

His hands caressed her sides, as they both move together to the rhythm or the music.


	4. Chapter 4

**4 Chapter**

Rory loved the way Robert acted around her at the club. He was so handsome they kissed and flirted yet he never made a move. When it was time for her to leave the club, he never asked for her number or gave her his.

She was hurt and felt rejected and what made matters worse was the erotic dreams she was having. She had never felt such an intensive physical attraction to a man before. She wondered if she should visit his club again?

The following weekend she had to fly to Pasadena for an interview of a talented photographer. He was making a name for himself photographing many of the stars in Hollywood. For her to get the interview, her boss booked her a photo session along with the interview.

Rory reviewed many of his photos. They were brilliant. She went to an exhibit of his photographs in New York, but there was not one photo of him. She also noticed that most of his photographs were of naked women. She became nervous when she found out that she had to sit for a photo session. Would he expect her to pose nude for him?

She flew to Pasadena on Friday night; her appointment was for Saturday at 2 pm. She pulled up to the address that was given to her. It was an apartment building. She entered the building and was buzzed up to Mr. Holmes apartment.

"Good morning, my name is Rory Gilmore, I'm the reporter from the New York Times," she greeted the young blonde woman who opened the door.

"Good morning, Mrs. Gilmore, I'm Jane. Mr. Holmes will be here shortly. Before you start the interview and photography session, you need to read and sign this contract"

Rory looks at the blonde assistant; she wonders why she needs to sign this contract. As she reads it over, her journalistic sense triggered. It stipulates that she keep the identity of this photographer a secret. Why would someone want this? What was he hiding? She researched but only found his work. There were no interviews or photographs of him. Who was this allusive man? Why didn't he like being interview?

Rory begins to ask his assistant some questions. "Do you know why Mr. Holmes tries to hide identity? Any ideas?"

Jane smiles softly, Rory is not the first person to ask this question after reading the contract.

"Sorry, Ms. Gilmore, I can't tell you. Mr. Holmes himself is the only one who can answer you that question."

"Okay, thanks," Rory replies.

Rory decides to sign the contract, this was a coup for the New York Times and she wasn't going to ruin her chance for this interview. She took a deep breath and signed the contract.

As soon as Jane returns, she hands the contract to her. Jane quickly scans the contract and, checks the signature and takes the paper.

"He had me make you an Old Fashioned to help reduce your nerves while you wait," Jane explains gently, returning with the strong cocktail.

"Reduce my nerves?" Rory asks, feeling actually more nervous than before.

"Yes, Mr. Holmes believes that the alcohol relaxes his clients before he asks them to remove their clothes and photographs them," the assistant replies.

"Oh my God," Rory coughs, she is out of her comfort zone, maybe this isn't a good idea.

"Didn't anyone explain to you about the photo shoot?" The young woman asks her.

She tries to comfort Rory, "Mr. Holmes is a very professional photographer. Mr. Holmes never hold interviews, he only agreed after your boss Mr. Baquet promised to send one of his most talented journalists and told him your name."

Rory understands why Mr. Baquet never told her more about the photo shoot. He is a big fan of Mr. Holmes work and tried for the last year and half to convince him to do an interview with the Times.

Rory replies stuttering, "Yeah, no... I mean, yes, Mr. Baquet told me about the photography session and I saw that Mr. Holmes exhibit in New York. He noticed he took a lot of likes nude pictures, but I didn't think that my photo session would be for me to remove my clothes. I'm more here for the interview…"

Jane smiles inwardly, seeing Rory's discomfort.

Thinking that she signed the contract, and she didn't want to fail at this interview, she decides it wouldn't hurt to drink the strong cocktail.

While Rory sips her drink, Jane asks, "Have you brought your own lingerie or do you want to take your photos in the nude?"

Swallowing hard, Rory rethink what she is wearing under her dress, suddenly she hears a man laughing.

"Enough teasing, Jane," Mr. Holmes says, "Welcome in my studio, Mrs. Gilmore."

Rory looks up and sees Robert standing there.

"Oh my God," Rory exclaims, blushing, "Robert! What are you doing here?"

Robert looks at the assistant, "Thanks, Jane, I can take care of everything now. That's it for today, see you on Monday. Enjoy your weekend."

Rory feels confused.

After Jane leaves, Robert grins and says, "Nice to see you again, Rory."

He leans in and gives her a peck on her cheek.

"Sorry, Robert, it's nice to see you again, too…but… I wasn't expecting you," she answers puzzled.

Robert smiles, enjoying her confused look and pink cheeks.

"I thought I booked a model for my photography session today for my bar campaign. But instead I find you here," Robert teases.

"What?" Rory asks. She wonders what sick joke is this and whose idea was it?

"Just kidding, Rory," Robert smiles tenderly, "Perhaps I should explain that I use the pseudonym Nick Holmes when I do my photography."

 **After some research on Nick Holmes I think I'm in love with his photography style. I absolutely appreciate every comment for my #TeamRobert story. Thanks, ClaudiaCleland.**


	5. Chapter 5

**5 Chapter**

"You're Nick Holmes?" Rory's blue eyes widen because of the unexpected revelation.

"Yeah," Robert answers smirking, sitting next to her on his brown leather couch, leaning his arm comfortably on the arm rest.

He found Rory intriguing. He felt something special when he was with her, so when he heard that Rory would be the reporter doing the job, he accepted the interview. What a nice and unpredictable coincidence it was for him to see her at his club. He never thought he would see her again after Yale.

"You're a mysterious man, my friend. I never knew that you were into photography." Rory admits to him, shaking her head.

She was surprised that Robert managed to keep such a big secret from the Life and Death Brigade (LDB) and the Yale Daily news. Rory was more than impressed. She never thought that Robert would be so successful. She thought that he was just another rich, snobbish, cocky trust fund baby.

Smiling, she thought back to their first date at Yale, he was kind of cute, asking her to go with him to Finn's birthday party. She thought about how she used him to make Logan jealous. She still felt guilty for her behavior at the party. He was the perfect gentleman, he tried to entertain her, bringing her drinks and respected her wish to not get as drunk as the other guests. He didn't try to convince her to drink stronger drinks or to get her drunk so that he could take advantage of her. Robert never complains that she just used him. Perhaps her life would have changed if she had chosen him and not Logan. Who knows?

"Well, this is something that many people are not aware of," he explains. In fact, he has not shared this with any of his friends or even family. It was the one thing he achieved completely without his family's name or money and he is proud of his success. Why he decided to let Rory know his secret is still a mystery to him, however he has a feeling why he has chosen her.

"Why?" Rory replies, holding her pen ready to write.

Robert glides nearer to her and stops her hand gently, grabbing her pen. "Sorry, Rory, this isn't part of the interview."

"But," she tries giving her bambi-look with her eyes to convince him, batting her eyelashes, looking as innocently as possible without laughing.

"I never did an interview before, because I couldn't trust any reporter to keep my secret, but I thought I should give you the chance. However there are strict rules for our meeting today."

"Dirty," she grins mischievously.

"Dirty?" He questions, wondering what she's thinking. He loves her cheekiness, she is full of surprises, but naughty ones are the best ones, especially when they include this gorgeous reporter girl.

"This reminds me of a book with lots of grey," she smiles seductively, but her cheeks were definitely pink. Was she blushing?

"Rory Gilmore, have you just compared me to Christian Grey?" Robert chuckles, his eyes clouding a bit with lust. And this sexual innuendo surprises him.

"Perhaps," she grins, trying to look naive, batting her eyelashes again.

He glides nearer to her, begins to tenderly caress her right knee.

She enjoys the contact, admitting to herself that she has missed him during the week, especially his skilled hands and tongue. Before she can respond, he stands up.

"Okay, let's go to the room where the magic happens," he says, his voice sounds husky, offering her his hand. He smiles at the cute way she pouts after he abruptly left the couch.

Taking his hand, she walks with him into his impressive office with its mix of modern and antique furniture. The walls are covered with a huge black and white picture he took of himself.

Smirking, she teases, "I thought you couldn't take self portraits."

"Why shouldn't I?" He asks puzzled.

"I did some research and found none of the famous Nick Holmes," she replies, sitting on the armchair in front of the desk after he gestured for her to sit there.

"Perhaps you did it wrong," he teases back, relaxing in his office chair.

Seeing her getting angry, he continues before she starts to ramble, "I am joking, there shouldn't be any pictures of me with my pseudonym outside this apartment."

"Oh, that is sad, that you can only live out your narcissistic side here, poor boy," she provokes him tenderly.

"This is why everybody needs to satisfy my wants in here," he responds, his voice taken on a husky quality.

Suddenly he recognizes how hard it will be to do this interview with her after they shared those kisses in his club. He originally planned to impress her and ask her out for dinner afterwards. Now he feels the room growing thick with the sexual tension that is between them. That is why he needed the desk between them before he starts to act on the indecent thoughts he has of her.

"Let's talk about the rules for the interview," he explains, trying to reduce his arousal with business talk. "No pictures, no mention of my real name or physical description, no identification of my location and last…"

"You must agree not to interfere with the integrity of the event," she interrupts him, chuckling.

"What?" He replies puzzled.

"Your rules are very similar to the ones of my first LDB event," she explains.

"Oh," he stutters. They never talked about the LDB or exactly one male blonde member the last times they met. Robert feels uneasy about the topic. Logan's proposal was many years ago, but it's still something nobody talks about. Logan told the boys what happened. She was not ready to marry him and he was not ready for another long-distance relationship. Colin, Finn and Robert knew it hurt both of their friends; however, in the end they stuck by Logan after she never tried to get in contact with them again.

Rory notices his tension. "Robert, the time we spent with the LDB were fun. My memories of Logan are good memories, but nothing more. I have moved on and I read that he did as well."

Seeing his tension begin to fade, she smiles and says, "Let's go back to the interview, so that we can enjoy our time together after." Rory leans on his desk while talking, making sure he knows how much she wants him.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm still in love with Nick Holmes' photography style and I thought it would be fun to add some quotes from him that were on his twitter account and HP. If you recognize some they're not mine, just borrowed for #TeamRobert. Hopefully Nick doesn't care.**

 **Due to vacation of my lovely beta, I will not bring out any new chapters of this story in the next three weeks. With a bit of luck, you will like this one, it's a bit more serious than the ones before, but also a little longer, ClaudiaCleland**

oooo

 **6 Chapter**

Robert loves watching Rory flirt. In his opinion she still has an innocence about her, and yet this new confidence suits her very well.

"Okay, let's get back to work," he says seriously.

She leans back from the desk, knowing his words are not meant to reject her, but he wants to get work done without her flirting with him. Rory likes his seriousness now.

"The last condition for this interview is when you have finished writing your interview, I will edit it before you turn it into the Times," he continues calmly.

"Editing it?" Rory asks, nobody she does an interview with edits her work. She knows he means only its content and not its form.

"Mr. Baquet told me these rules would be okay. Is there a problem?" He checks, noticing how tense she becomes after he tells her his last condition.

"Sorry, Robert, I'm just not used to someone editing my stories." Thinking about how important this is for the Times she replies, "Ok, its fine for me."

"I have successfully kept this career a secret for many years, however I began to think that an interview could push my career a bit. I have never trusted any reporter enough until now," he confesses, his voice quieter than before.

Feeling more than honored, she asks, "You trust me?"

"I decided to give you the chance after Mr. Baquet convinced me to do an interview and that you would be his choice. From our time in Yale, I knew you would not reveal my secrets or your sources. I saw how discrete you were at Yale when you wrote the LDB article," he explains.

Seeing her disappointment, he knows she probably thought it was due to their evenings at his club. In reality he accepted the offer before they met again. He thought he might be able to mix business with pleasure, but he knew that Rory would act professionally making this the reason he finally agreed. He had never thought about kissing Rory, he simply had hoped for another meeting and perhaps the start of a real friendship.

He continues, "I never told any of my friends or family, because I'm sure they couldn't keep a secret, especially our friends of the LDB," he chuckles. Loving the boys more than his real brothers he's sure they never could have kept their mouths shut with him taking nude images. He often thought about telling them, but due to their lifestyles as players he decided against it. Naturally they helped him through his worst life crisis. Thinking back, he smiles, however this was no secret, and everybody knew what happened. Feeling his eyes get a bit watery thinking about the incident, he distracts himself by looking back at Rory.

"I liked you at Yale, but we were never really close, I was the boy you used to make Logan jealous," he confesses embarrassed.

Nobody knew at Yale that he tried to seriously date Rory. He was sure back then that Logan would never be able to be a one-woman-man. Therefore, he thought he should seize the chance to woo Rory. Once they faced Logan at Finn's birthday party he realized for the first time how serious Logan's feelings were for Rory. He had enjoyed her company, but when he saw her kissing Logan covertly in a dark corner at Finn's party, he never tried to make another move.

Rory gulps, admitting to herself that he's right. At Yale, she accepted his presence as a companion of Finn, Colin and Logan, however they were never close friends. When he asked her to go to Finn's birthday party she absolutely used him. Feeling guilty for her behavior and seeing sadness in his watery eyes, she whispers, "Sorry."

"Well, we all did things while in college we were not proud of," he reassures her kindly.

Reflecting of her horrible behavior on their first date, she wonders how her life would have been different if she had chosen him at Finn's party. Realizing it's already the second time today she thinks about her choice of men at Yale, she switches into her reporter mode.

The interview finishes quickly since she was prepared with the right questions and answers that were designed on keeping his identity secret, but giving the readers an insight on his passion for his work and his career.

"Okay, I must admit, you're a great reporter, Rory," he compliments her once the interview was completed.

"Thanks," she replies, causing a light blush to overcome her cheeks.

"Let's go in to my kitchen," Robert suggests, standing up from his office chair.

"Kitchen? I thought work comes first?" She replies interested. Indeed, the image of Robert cooking her dinner sounded nice, she admits to herself. She likes the idea of a new relationship after all these years.

"Shooting in studios often misses the warmth I need for my pictures. Furthermore, my kitchen is comfortable and a perfect topic to lighten the mood before the photography sessions," Robert explains smiling at the memory of several interesting conversations he has had in there.

Leaving his office together, Rory excuses herself to go and use his bathroom.

In the bathroom, she looks at her reflection in the mirror. Okay, she is going to freak out due to the upcoming photography session. Robert loves taking nude pictures and my bra looks like a part of my school uniform, but not naughty or sexy. Before she left she had chosen comfort over sexy. She never thought about showing it to a gorgeous man today. Spontaneously she decides it was time to remove her bra. Still out of her comfort zone, she realizes that at least she could hide her ugly bra.

Quickly taking it off she stuffs it in her purse, hiding it under her other stuff. Putting on her blouse again, she relaxes a bit after checking that to see if you could tell that she was no longer wearing it.

Identifying her stress, he tries comforting her with a calm, gentle voice, "Today I will take some headshots, because I love doing them. I'm sure you will be pleased with the outcome. The picture should show a kind of beautiful and accurate representation of you. Just get comfortable and I start shaping the lights to make beautiful images."

Robert arranges everything once she took her place. He adores the mixture of her look of innocence and playfulness.

"First, I will shoot some pictures to get you use to the whole thing and the interaction to get great images," he explains softly.

"Okay, Robert," she answers coyly. The headshots are not the problem she thinks, but what follows afterwards.

"Our session is not like modeling, we talk with each other about whatever you want to talk about and I take pictures along the way. At the end you decide which images you like and what to do with them. You just need to pick one for the Times as discussed with your boss."

All Rory can think about is she needs to show a nude picture in the Times!

Robert doesn't understand why she is so afraid showing how beautiful she is, but he doesn't know what she is thinking that she needs to choose.

After shooting for some time and making more small talk, Rory relaxes more and more. He manages to create a safe space for her. Feeling safe, she decides that she feels comfortable enough to take her blouse off and starts the real photography session. She's thankful Robert took his time, but she thinks he did everything he could and now it's her turn to get serious.

Rory slowly unbuttons her blouse starting from the bottom. Due to her careful consideration, opening the blouse this way should take longer to reveal her whole torso.

Meanwhile Robert never thinking that Rory would take off her blouse focuses instead on taking her headshots. When he notices her open blouse, she had nearly opened all the buttons, he's too surprised to stop. She looks gorgeous with her rosy cheeks which redden deeper as she lets her blouse fall off her shoulders.


	7. Chapter 7

**At the 29** **th** **October 2017 my life changed dramatically forever - Nick Holmes announced on his twitter account that my story is hot and he loves it, after I joked he could read it. As a result I need to handle the pressure of being currently a famous person and do stuff like getting addicted to drugs (or was it chocolate!?), hide from paparazzi and whatever celebrities do in their free time… however, till I figure it out what my new life as a very important person exactly means, my beta is back from her vacation and you can therefore decide if my newest chapter is still worth to be read, ClaudiaCleland**

oooo

 **7 Chapter**

Being on autopilot Robert begins taking pictures of the beautiful woman sitting in front of him, before he realized what was happening. Rory looks stunning sitting in front of him. Her innocence makes her look more gorgeous than he had ever imagined. The mixture of shyness and sexiness amazes him.

Rory feels herself blushing from head to toe, anxious and embarrassed to notice Robert's reaction as she lets her blouse slip from her shoulders.

Robert wonders why he finds himself nervous. He has taken a lot of nude photos before in his kitchen, but he never felt as much tension as now. His heart skipped a beat as he discovered the blouse falling off her shoulders. He is always the person who is in complete control of the situation and he is more than surprised that Rory is removing her blouse. He made some jokes about nude images before, but he had never expected that she would want him to take some of her.

Rory senses that Robert had stopped taking pictures. Immediately she wonders why. Isn't she attractive enough for a man like Robert? Is something wrong with her?

Robert has feelings of mixed emotions. He stops the photoshoot. It was her decision to remove her shirt and he should continue taking images of the beautiful woman in front of him. Gazing at her breasts he knows why he's feeling different. He is attracted to Rory. The feelings she stirred in him at his club made him desire her more. Two years ago, he was photographing another woman topless whom he found himself attracted to more than the standard models. Thinking of that he freezes.

"Robert?" Rory asks softly. She notices that he has become distracted and wonders what has happened.

He doesn't move or answer.

"Is everythingokay Robert?" Rory asks gently, getting up and walking slowly toward him.

Lost in that memory, Robert feels the hurt she left him with and a lonely tear drop escapes silently.

As she walks closer to him, Rory realizes that Robert seems to be lost in his own thoughts. He looks lost and she feels the urge to comfort him.

Sensing the presence of someone, Robert leans into the warmth of her half-naked body. He feels secure and safe, a feeling he hasn't had in two long years.

Caressing his back while embracing him, Rory forgets that she's still topless. Robert closes his eyes, leans in and rests his head on her shoulder. He relaxes more and more; his muscles release their tension.

His heartbeat returns to normal, and the sense of loss begins to leave him. He pulls her closer while softly kissing his way from her neck to her lips. Capturing her lips in a passionate kiss he gently moves his hands lightly down her sides.

He kisses her again, slowly and more lovingly than he ever had, before he whispers huskily in her ear, "I missed you."

Shivering, Rory relaxes in his embrace. She never has felt as adored with any man as she does in this moment in his embrace. She feels loved as if he would lay the world at her feet.

Opening his eyes Robert looks at her shocked.

"Oh my God, what have I done?" he wonders to himself.

Seeing his shocked impression, she wonders what went wrong.

He stumbles backwards, stuttering words of apologies, escaping into the bathroom.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he sees the pain in his eyes. He was sure he had gotten over her. His heart pace quickens again, adrenaline running through his system.

Rory doesn't understand the reason for his reaction. Knocking gently on the door, she tries to calm him down.

"Robert it's ok. Everything will be fine."

Gliding down the wall he sits on the cold tiles, he shakes his head. Will everything ever be fine again? He wonders.

"Can I come in?" Rory asks tenderly. She doesn't want to upset him more.

"Hm…" He mutters.

Opening the door carefully, she sees him sitting on the floor, looking anxious and miserable.

Sitting next to him, she inquires tenderly, "Robert, did I do something wrong?"

"Something wrong?" He whispers confused.

"You kissed me and left. Did I bite you or something like that?" Rory asks, biting nervously on her lower lip.

Looking at her he replies, "I made a fool out of myself and you think you did something wrong?" He chuckles a bit, "You're cute."

A relieved that she was able to lighten the mood a little, she still wonders what went wrong. "Robert, what happened?"

Knowing he couldn't tell her that he thought for a moment that Rory was someone else, he tried to avoid the answer with a joke, "I think I was in shock that the innocent Rory Gilmore tried to seduce me."

"Seduce you?" She replies puzzled.

"Are you saying that your blouse slipped off your body by itself?" He teases, wiggling his eyebrows. His lips curl into a smirk.

Rory's lower lip juts out into a childish pout. "I was working."

"Working?"

"I thought you wanted to start with the nude photos after you were patient enough taking other pictures at the beginning," she explains.

Finally understanding why she surprised him, he laughs. Smiling at her all his sad thoughts disappears and he looks at her, while softly caressing her knee.

"Rory, I never planned to have a photoshoot without clothes today."

"Oh boy," she replies embarrassed as she realizes what she had done.

Feeling embarrassed she tries to hide her breasts with her arms.

Seeing her reaction, he slowly leans down and, kissing her gently on her shoulder he whispers, "However, I am not complaining."

And before she answers, he pulls her into his lap, his eyes gleaming with mischief and seduction.

He tucks several lose hairs behind her ear. The room grows thick with the sexual tension between them.

He slowly lays her down on the fluffy bath mat. He cups her cheeks softly, his tongue slides gently across her lower lip. She grips the hem of his shirt. Her hands graze his body on their way to his back.

Loving how her body feels against his, and forgetting where they are lying he continues deepening their kiss. Their tongues meeting, tangling and dueling with each other as their bodies press close together. He groans, pressing his forehead against hers, still cupping her cheeks.

He whispers, "You are so beautiful."

He places feather light kisses all the way down to her breasts. His lips, teeth and tongue skillfully caress her, and he forgets everything outside their passionate bubble.


	8. Chapter 8

**8 Chapter**

Back at home, Rory recalls her weekend in Pasadena. She cherished those amazing kisses she had shared with Robert, but silently wondered what made Robert melancholy and why he never actually tried to seduce her. Oh my God, shouldn't the men normally worry about this question and not the other way around?

Robert had changed since she last saw him at Yale, but she wasn't sure she knew what caused it. She always liked him, and he made her feel safe and secure in Pasadena. She wanted to understand what caused the change in his behavior. Thinking of her memories of him, in New Haven, she tries to figure out how she could entice him to be attracted to her as she was to him. Once she knew what she wanted, she was ready to put her plans together to sweep him off his feet. She never did this before, because all her ex-boyfriends were the ones that pursued her, not the other way around.

The big question is how she gets the attention of a man like Robert. He probably has slept with more women than she has ever met in her life. Logan and Tristan were playboys, and pursued her. She didn't have to do anything but be herself. Robert had asked her out once, however she was not interested then, but she is very interested in this handsome mature man. He seems more thoughtful, but with a kind of dark shadow surrounding him. She wonders if he is hiding more secrets other than he is a famous photographer.

She decides to put her plan in action. On Monday morning Robert receives an anonymous letter.

 _Dear Robert,_

 _I heard you are a player, so let's play a game and join my secret scavenger hunt. Collect your first instruction in the club named after a_ _secret society at Yale, which is famous for its dangerous stunts and gorgeous men._

 _Mystery Girl_

"I'll be damned," Robert calls out smirking. Seems like someone enjoyed her weekend just as much as he did. He realized it had to be Rory, because he knew of no other girl who knew about the secret society at Yale and the club.

He was concerned that his emotional outburst would have Rory freaked out; however, he wasn't ready to explain the reason to Rory. She always was the girl who work on a problem until she was satisfied it was solved. It seems that she is interested in him. He is intrigued by her offer and heads excitedly to his club to find the instruction for the hunt.

"Good morning, Robert," the security man greets him at the entrance, a playful spark glistering in his eyes.

Robert never let his staff of the club use his last name, because he didn't want such a formal atmosphere at his club.

"Good morning, Scott," Robert replies, sensing his employee knew something about the hint he's searching for.

"A mysterious girl was looking for you yesterday or better she knew where you were and left something for you," Scott continues, visibly smirking.

"A mysterious girl?" Robert asks with a glimmer of playfulness.

"Yeah, a mysterious girl," Scott repeats, pleased with being part of the game that she asked him to participate in.

"She never told you her name?" Robert teases.

"Must have slipped my mind," Scott teases back, presenting a letter out of his jacket pocket.

Robert chuckles. Who would have thought reporter girl would follow the tradition of the LDB?

He opens the envelope and smiling he reads the rules.

 _SCAVENGER HUNT_

 _Rules_

 _1\. Working in teams is not allowed. You gonna be the last man standing._

 _2\. Time flies. You have one day to find every item and then you are expected at the last point on Friday at 8 p.m._

 _3\. Every moment matters. Take a photo of every item accompanied by you in the picture and give it to my partner in crime in your club._

 _4\. I want to be a part of it. All items will be within the city that doesn't sleep._

 _5\. There are some things money can't buy._

"That sounds like fun," he thinks while opening the smaller envelope that was inside the larger one.

He reads the clue to himself, "To find the first clue you need to arrange a meeting with the animal mascot of the LDB. Enjoy the get-together of the hairy males..."

"Hairy males?" Robert laughs while walking to his office to find out where he needs to go.

Having a bit of fun of his hairy appearance is exactly the humor he likes. He hates it when women tell him he should shave his whole body. Why should he do something like this!? He's pleased with his body. He knows he is handsome and probably manlier than all the shaved male models in the magazines. In addition, it turns him on when a beauty like Rory caresses the hair on his chest. To him it feels, better than the caress on his skin directly. Remembering her caressing his hairy chest he feels himself begin to be turned on.

Remembering the evening in his bath room, he loved how carefree Rory was despite the tension before. She looked stunning in the dim light and how he made her moaned left him crazy with desire. But he's no longer that reckless playboy and stopped himself before he lost control.

While Robert tries to figure out what he's suppose to do, Rory gets a phone call from Scott.

"Hey, gorgeous mysterious girl," he smirks teasing her.

"Hello, friendly partner in crime," she replies giggling.

"The eagle has landed," Scott tells her as it was arranged.

Rory grins, feeling like she is part of a bad spy movie. She replies, "The fish flies at night."

"What a shame that you like my boss," Scott flirts a bit.

"Well, that will depend on his ability to solve my puzzle," Rory flirts back. Scott is really a nice guy to agree to help her do this hunt with Robert. She was a bit afraid no one would help her, but he immediately volunteered to help her.

In the meantime, Robert figured out, that he needs to go to a zoo and find a gorilla. Using the internet, he searches which of the several zoos in New York has gorillas.

Grabbing his camera, he heads to the nearest one, the Bronx Zoo. Whistling he decides to take the subway to get there and enjoys this day off work. He can't remember when the last time he did something like this was. Feeling relax and free, he enjoys himself and thinks about the upcoming adventures she may have planned.


	9. Chapter 9

**9 Chapter**

Walking around the zoo, Robert recalls his memories of visiting the zoos with his siblings and their nannies. His parents took the whole family once, but he still remembers the photographs of that day. Until today, he never visited a zoo as an adult and looking around at all the families, especially the joyful children, made him feel rather happy.

Standing in front of the gorilla exhibit, he asks an elderly couple if they would take some photos of him.

"Sure," the woman smiles softly.

"Thanks," he replies smiling at them. He wonders what he will be like at their age. Will he be as happy as these two? Will he finally be married or be divorced?

Before he's able to continue a conversation with the couple his cell phone rings. Noticing the familiar number, he excuses himself with a little nod of his head.

Robert greets the caller, "Hi Finn."

"Hey mate, I just wanted to check if you're still in on our poker game on Saturday," Finn asks.

"Well, probably," Robert replies hesitantly.

"Probably? Come on, man. We need you to piss Huntz off. I love how irritated he gets when you're winning again," Finn chuckles.

"Oh…well… Logan will be there…" Robert stutters.

"Sure, Logan is coming. He never missed one of our poker games in the last few years. But you like Logan, what's wrong?" Finn tries to find out why Robert hesitates.

Before Robert can explain why he's hesitant about seeing Logan again, some birds in the Congo Gorilla forests are croaking.

"Bloody hell, where are you?" Finn wonders.

"I'm in the Bronx Zoo," Robert replies smirking.

"In the Bronx Zoo? Like with all the animals?" Finn asks fascinated.

"Yeah, there are lots of animals here," Robert laughs about the overdramatic antics of one of his best friends.

"What the hell are you doing there?" Finn requests curiously.

"Taking pictures of hairy males," Robert giggles. He enjoys teasing his friend.

"Are you drunk, my friend? Being at a party without me is cruel," Finn pouts.

"Finn, I'm on an adventure hunt and yes, you should be absolutely jealous," Robert mocks smirking.

"Ahh, … are women involved in your hairy adventure? Perhaps some nice redhead you want to share?" Finn chuckles, he's still wondering why the hell Robert is in the zoo.

"Well, only one mysterious girl," Robert replies smiling softly. He feels his heart beat faster.

"A girl? For real? It's bloody time mate!" Finn blurts out excited.

"Yeah, a girl is involved, but I don't know where it will go," Robert murmurs.

It's the first time that he is talking with someone about Rory. In the last few years Finn and Robert have grown extremely close. Going through a tragedy together helped them to become best mates. Finn helped Robert through his loss and on their way their relationship changed from pure party animals to a close bond. Usually Robert would have immediately shared his thoughts about Rory, but due to her relationship with Logan he hesitated. Once he figured out his relationship with Rory he will tell the boys about her, but now it seems too early to mention it.

"Robert, we all know you loved her more than your own life, but it's already two years. Time to live again, mate," Finn tries to convince him. He hates seeing Robert like this.

"But it still feels like yesterday," Robert replies, his voice filled with a hint of sadness.

"Nobody will ever forget her, however for the first time it sounds like you found a new girl who seems pretty special too," Finn affirms gently.

"She is something special," Robert replies softly.

"I'm happy for you, mate. When can I meet her?" Finn asks. He wonders which woman finally succeeded to make Robert smile again.

"Well, Finn, I think I need more time," Robert murmurs meekly.

At first he wanted to tell Finn about meeting Rory in his club. But how could he talk about her without sharing the details of their kiss. Smiling he remembers that first kiss after all those years.

"Robert, I'm your best mate, you can't hide your new-found love from me," Finn pleads dramatically.

"If this develops into a relationship I will introduce her to you. I promise," Robert states while he thinks how happy he would be with Rory. However, things are complicated and he's not sure if she would want to be involved with him and if she knew the loss that he's still carrying from his past relationship. He is not sure if this is the best time to start a new relationship.

"What do you mean? Aren't you wooing her with all you have to offer?" Finn keeps asking questions. Why is Robert hesitating?

"It's complicated," Robert counters.

"Does she know about her?" Finn blurts out.

"She suspects something. Last weekend I thought for a moment she was Marissa," Robert replies ashamed.

"Oh no," Finn states, "Have the flashbacks returned?"

"I don't know," Robert whispers. "The last year I had only nightmares. Last weekend was the first time after a long time I saw her again."

Finn worries about Robert. "What happened?"

Robert knows Finn is the only one who understands him, because Finn was the only one who escorted him to his therapist when he was too depressed to leave his apartment. He sighs and starts to explain, "She took off her blouse and she was the first topless woman I was attracted to since Marissa. I think being in such an intimate situation triggered my memories and I think I froze."

"You think you froze? You don't remember? How did she react?" Finn asks. He read a lot about traumatic events to help his friend through his crisis and also talked to Robert's therapist to help his friend through it

Hesitating Robert tries to continue, "I kissed her passionately and then I told her I missed her. When I realized that she wasn't Marissa, I ran into the bathroom." He gulps and wonders if he should make an appointment with his therapist again.

"Robert, you know your therapist told you this could happen when you start a new relationship. But you should talk with her about it," Finn understands exactly what happened. She is the first woman after Marissa whom Robert is finally attracted to.

"Finn, I know, but I'm afraid that she might run away. She was in a long-term relationship and declined her boyfriend's proposal. I don't want to move too fast and scare her away," Robert tries to explain. Sure, he knows that he should tell Rory about Marissa, but he fears that she will leave him before they get to know each other better.

"Didn't you scare her already with your behavior? Escaping into a bathroom doesn't sound like something women are expecting from men to do," Finn comforts Robert.

"She was confused, but she chose to comfort me, and we ended up making out for a very long time," Robert smiles.

"Okay, mate, she truly sounds like a keeper. I need to get back to work. Enjoy your day at the zoo whatever you're doing there, and I will see you on Saturday," Finn replies. "And if you need someone to talk to, you can call me as always night or day. See ya."

"Bye Finn and thanks for being such a great friend," Robert says, before they're finished their call.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dear readers, I just want to say sorry, but due to Christmas season and several days holiday in London I will not publish as often as usually in December. However** **I thought I write a Christmas one shot as a thank you to all my awesome readers for Christmas and I will publish it on Christmas Eve. And then I thought it could also be a great possibility for all the fabulous fanfiction authors with not enough time to write a long story at the moment and for all the people who want to try to write a story for the first time.**

 **Therefore I want to invite you to join my Gilmore Girls Christmas Challenge to sprea** **d the love for Gilmore Girls fanfictions in the month of joy and giving.** **If you want to join just write a Gilmore Girls fanfiction one shot (means only 1 chapter, you can decide how many words) which includes Christmas and a happy ending (because who likes a Christmas story with a bad end!?) and publish it in December. Of course you can write several one shots too… After publishing in December, please share your story on Facebook with the hashtag** **#** **GilmoreGirlsChristmasChallenge**

 **I hope you like my idea and feel inspired in the best time of the year. Feel free to share the idea for as many GG Christmas stories as possible,** **ClaudiaCleland**

oooo

 **10 Chapter**

Rory awaken with a smile on her face. Yesterday Scott sent her the picture of Robert with a gorilla and he looks happy in the photo. Whatever happened last weekend her scavenger hunt idea seemed to have cheered him up, the aura of sadness that surrounded him last weekend isn't there in this picture.

She spent yesterday creating the next clue for the scavenger hunt. Even though it is fun to decide what Robert should do next, she wonders if she should have involved herself instead of sending him alone on these little adventures. She admits to herself that she misses him.

At the same time Robert receives the next clue from a devilishly smirking Scott.

"I like your girlfriend, boss," Scott teases a bit.

Robert replies, "She's not my girlfriend."

It's not the first time he thinks about the possibility that Rory could be his. He smiles softly to himself, but gets caught by his employee.

"Sure, Robert, whatever helps you sleep at night," Scott mocks. He has never seen Robert as cheerful as he is today. Robert's always nice to all his staff, however usually he's reserved in showing any of his feelings.

Robert heartily laughs while Scott tosses him the newest envelope with his next clue.

He opens the envelope while walking to his office. "I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour. For the second clue, escape the ordinary and use me for a little dare with an exotic friend. And so the adventure begins…"

He rereads the first sentence several times, "I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour."

Well, sounds like an umbrella. He looks around his office to see if he can find his umbrella. Looking around he spots it under a pile of papers. Fishing for it he understands why Rory has chosen this clue.

The first weekend he saw her, she jumped with Huntz from a scaffold. He was absolutely impressed. Usually Logan always brought women who only wanted to look pretty, but Rory was beautiful and bold. Robert hated that Logan found her first. When he heard that Logan had arranged a no-strings relationship with her, he took the first chance to date her. Sadly, she was deeply attracted to Logan to give Robert a chance. But now he might have a chance. As he thinks of this he has a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach. How pathetic, he thinks to himself.

"For the second clue, escape the ordinary and use me for a little dare with an exotic friend," he repeats.

"An exotic friend?" he wonders.

At that moment his cell rings and he absentmindedly say, "Hi."

"Hey mate, the partner in crime of your mysterious girlfriend called me."

"Finn?" Robert asks curiously. "Ah, you're my exotic friend."

"Well, thanks my friend," Finn chuckles. He is enjoying this mysterious game.

"Who called you?" Robert wonders.

"Your security guy Scott called me and asked if I would have time tonight for a little in Omnia Paratus. I wondered what he meant and what he knows about the Life and Death Brigade, but he delivered only a message from your mysterious girlfriend. Unfortunately she didn't call me herself," Finn pouts.

Robert releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. He feels relief because he isn't ready to reveal his undefined relationship with Rory yet.

Smirking, Robert tries to get more information out of his crazy Australian friend. "Finn, what was the message?"

"Oh, yeah, I should search for a bridge you can jump off without breaking your neck," Finn laughs.

"A bridge? Oh my God, this woman is mad," Robert snickers.

"Robert, if you want to get rid of her, don't worry, I think I can easily fall for her. She sounds like the perfect partner for a brigadier," Finn replies.

All Finn knows so far is that the mysterious woman made one of his best mates smile again and she seems adventurous. In addition she heard about the LDB or perhaps she's also one of the members? He's more than curious to meet her one day; however he understands why Robert needs his time to define their relationship.

Instead of reacting to Finn's suggestion, Robert avoids talking about her. He even is afraid that Finn might find out that Rory is the mysterious girl.

"Okay, I will explain some things to you. I'm on a scavenger hunt and it seems like your helping me with my next clue," Robert explains.

"Marvelous," Finn replies excitedly. He wants to add something about the genius woman behind it, but sometimes it's wiser to keep silent.

"If I understood everything right, we need to go to the bridge tonight and I need to jump from it with an umbrella while you're taking a picture from me," Robert continues.

"Sounds like a typical LDB stunt. I'm impressed my friend," Finn replies amazed.

"I think that's the idea," Robert smiles softly.

That Rory invited Finn delights him. She doesn't seem afraid of meeting the old gang and she knows for sure this includes Logan. He likes her a lot and he's happy that she has closed the relationship with Huntz.

That evening Rory receives a call from Scott.

"Hey, mysterious girl," Scott says.

"Hi, partner in crime," she answers smiling. "Why are you calling?"

"Well, I wanted to send you a picture where my boss is jumping off a bridge while holding an umbrella; however, his crazy friend insisted I needed to call you to tell you about the whole stunt," Scott explains while Finn indicates with his hands he wants to talk to her himself.

"That's nice, but you know I will come later to bring you the next envelope, Scott?" Rory questions.

In the background she hears Finn talking, "Tell her how brave Robert was even if he looked ridiculous with the umbrella," Finn yells.

"Finn, I would, but you're interrupting me," Scott laughs.

"Or I could tell the lovely lady myself," Finn suggests smirking.

"Finn, as long as you're talking I cannot hear her on the phone," Scott tries to quiet Finn.

"Oh, and you need to tell her that I also did the stunt myself and I looked fabulous," he smirks. "You should send her my pic, too. I'm sure she would like a fine specimen like me. Robert should share her."

As Scott hears Rory answering, he changes his attention from the crazy friend of his boss to her.

"Seems like Finn is drunk?" She laughs.

"Oh, yes, he is for sure," Scott replies smirking at Finn.

"Hey, you're talking about me," Finn interrupts again, "It's not polite to talk about me and I don't know what she said," he shouts overdramatically.

Robert hurries to the both men as he hears the mad antics of Finn.

"Finn, it's not polite to interrupt a call, either," Robert gives Finn a lecture while hiding his smile.

"But, Robert, I want to talk to the lovely lady of yours," Finn pouts.

Robert signals Scott to give him the cell, "Hello, mysterious girl."

Scott distracts Finn" Hey, Finn, have you tried our latest delivery of Scotch whisky?"

Finn is intoxicated enough to follow the booze instead of his friend.

"Hey, Robert," Rory replies.

"I'm enjoying myself this week, thanks," he says softly.

"I'm glad that you are," she replies tenderly.

He whispers, "But I'm more excited for my prize and I hope it includes one fiery brunette."

Rory notices herself blushing. She loves flirting with Robert.


	11. Chapter 11

**Dear readers, I'm very sorry, that I needed a lot more time than usually to update this story, but at first I got distracted with the holidays and I struggled with one of my other stories. However I'm still in love with this story and no worries I will continue it. Thanks for waiting. I hope you will continue reading, ClaudiaCleland**

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 **11 Chapter**

After talking with Robert on the phone, Rory realizes how much she misses him. However, as an overachiever, she always follows her plans. She tries to create the perfect clue for the next scavenger hunt.

Thinking of her time at Yale she searches on her huge shelves through hundreds of books for her photo album of New Haven. She takes her time as she scans the photographs in the album of her favorite time in her life. Studying at Yale was hard, but she enjoyed it. Living with Paris drove her crazy; but there were times when she missed the trivial arguments between Paris and Janet. This was a carefree time in her life, time where she thought she could do and achieve anything. She enjoyed the challenges it brought, even dating Logan with the no-strings was a challenge at first, but being with him and his crazy friends was an adventure. They pushed her comfort level and she did things she never thought she would do.

Looking through the pictures at Robert she notices that he also seemed to be more lighthearted in contrast to the way he is today. Something happened since then and maybe making him remember the good times at Yale would make him feel better.

The next morning Robert is excited to head to his club to get the next clue.

"Good morning, boss, seems like someone is happy to see me." Scott teases.

"Good morning, employee," Robert chuckles. Hiring Scott was an excellent idea; he's a great guy, with a good sense of humor and a diligent worker.

With a smirk, Scott tosses him an envelope which Robert hastily opens. Smiling he rereads the newest hint while Scott tries to get a glimpse at the paper. "Said gap twixt 'd' and 'f' shall not slip from lips in any word this hint allows."

He chuckles thinking that Rory found her old notebooks from their first LDB event, and decided to use that whole sentence to write the next clue. He laughs to himself as his thoughts drift to her annoyed face that day they first met. It was so much fun teasing her with their crazy game, and he admired her ambition to get the story.

He continues to read the hint while walking to his office, "You can't buy happiness, but you can buy coffee. Go in your favorite café and order a liquid hug for your brain. Don't forget the rule for your visit."

Looking in his schedule for the day, he decides, he wants to go to the café at lunchtime.

Around 12 o' clock he walks to the café "Mudspot". Ordering coffee without using the letter 'e' is a challenge for him and he wonders how he will be able to do it. He strolls in the crowded café. The interior is like a mixture between a bar with bar stools and a classic café with wooden tables and vintage chairs. The outer walls are plain brick but the wall behind the bar is covered with tiny mosaic tiles, in shades of red.

Robert chose a seat at a table to avoid small talk at the bar. An attractive red-haired waitress arrives at his table.

Looking at her he smiles and orders, "A plain black, today."

The waitress looks like she knows that he wanted to say please, but didn't say it. She seems puzzled about his lack of good manners.

He clears his throat to cover the absence of the polite form, adding, "Thanks."

The waitress replies, "You're welcome", then leaves and takes the order from a larger group of people at the table next to Robert's.

After Robert receives his coffee, he positioned his camera and takes the self-portrait with him and the cup. While concentrating on taking the picture, he doesn't notice the curious man who strolled directly towards him.

"Robert, I know you're narcissistic, but isn't a cell phone enough for a selfie?" Finn smirks.

"Finn!?" Robert bursts out. Sure, the crazy Australian must walk in at the one moment he's only allowed to talk with the silly rules. Robert was pretty good at that game in Yale, but it was long ago and the other players always knew the game.

"Where's your mysterious girlfriend today, mate? Still on the hunt or have you hunted her down yet?" Finn chuckles while wiggling with his eyebrows.

Finn is still very curious about this mysterious woman, but momentarily he wonders why Robert puckers his eyebrows before he replies.

"No girls today, I'm still hunting," Robert grins, especially after avoiding all words he's not permitted to say.

Finn sits down on the bench after he ordered himself a coffee and flirted shameless with the waitress.

"Now we're both hunting," Finn grins, tucking the telephone number of the gorgeous redhead in his jacket. "However, it seems that I am more successful than you, my poor little friend."

Robert chuckles at his friend's behavior. He is still astounded at how many girls are immediately falling for this dramatic Australian.

"I'm in no doubt, Finn. Lastly, I will win," Robert responds dreamingly.

"Whatever," Finn continues teasing, "No scavenger hunt adventure today? Had the lovely lady already abandoned you?"

"N..," Robert wants to exclaim, before he recognizes that 'never' is not allowed.

Finn watches Robert curiously while his friend bites his lower lip, lost in thought.

"Oh, I get it," Finn blurts out excitedly, "I'm part of it again. Awesome! Please tell me, what the hint is this time, please, please…"

With a big grin Robert leans in and whispers in Finn's ear, "Said gap twixt 'd' and 'f' shall not slip from lips in any word this hint allows."

Robert smiles mockingly, because he knows Finn was never a fan of this game, he always was too impulsive and lost after the second sentence.

"Oh no," Finn pouts. He folds his arms in front of his chest," I hate that bloody game."

Robert laughs. Finn's eccentric behavior is just so funny.

Thinking for a moment, Finn decides it would be more amusing to tease Robert by asking him a lot of questions and try to get him to say words with an 'e' in them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Dear readers, Happy Valentines's Day and enjoy your day, ClaudiaCleland**

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 **12 Chapter**

On his way to work, Robert's thoughts are filled with her. Robert admires Rory's creativity especially since Finn seems to be a bit jealous of his mysterious woman. He wonders how Finn will react when he finds out who this mysterious girl is. Fortunately, Finn never thought of her more than a friend, but even if Robert is a friend of Logan and Finn, Finn's alliance is probably on Logan's side. Robert hopes that his Yalies will accept his growing affection for Rory.

Walking to the entrance of his club, Scott smiles and says, "Good morning, Robert."

"Good morning, Scott."

Robert waits before he opens the metallic door of his club "Ready for…," inquiring looking at his employee.

"Can I help you, boss?" Scott smirks, knowing that Robert is dying to know his next clue for the hunt.

Chuckling Robert replies, "I'm clueless at what I could possibly want."

"Same here," Scott grins, "But perhaps the pretty blue-eyed brunette inside can be of assistance?"

The smile on Robert's face grows from a teasing one to pure happiness. He loves how she makes him feel. It has been a long time since he felt as light-hearted as he has this week.

Walking quickly into the building, he searches for her. After crossing the foyer, he's sure he will find her in the library. It's a typical club room with a dance floor and bar, but this room has huge bookshelves filled with different genres of books on one of the red brick walls, along with comfortable leather couches, old chandeliers and a collection of pictures of different places in Great Britain. It is his favorite room because it is providing a more relaxing atmosphere compared to the other room.

He spots her sitting on one of the leather bar stools at the bar, sipping a coffee, he sneaks up on her, embracing her lovingly from behind and rests his arms on her stomach. He softly gives her a kiss on her cheek and whispers, "Hello, beautiful."

At first, she tenses, but once she hears and smells his presence, she relaxes and replies, "Hello handsome."

He turns her bar stool around without losing physical contact.

"Have you missed me, Sweetheart?" He smiles tenderly.

Seeing her smile, he knows he's ready to become involved in this relationship. Looking at her gorgeous smile makes him realize that she may be the person to help him heal his broken heart.

"Sounds like someone thinks he's annoyingly irresistible," she teases him.

She pulls him closer, wrapping her hands around his neck, playing with his lightly curled hair.

"You just know what to say to a guy," he smirks.

"Absolutely, one of my many charms," she grins.

"Well, I can think of others too," he whispers hoarsely, his eyes darken with lust before his forehead meets hers.

They gaze into each other eyes as their breaths melt into each other.

He brings his head slowly closer and closer until their lips are only centimeters apart.

"I find your lips wildly kissable," he huskily whispers to her as his thumb starts encircling the contour of her lips.

She stares into his glittering greens eyes; which now are appear emerald green, cloudy with his longing in for her.

Suddenly trivia information enters her mind and she remembers that green eyes are the only ones that can change their color. Green eyes are especially rare, and she loves that his eyes are green so different from the brown-eyed boys she uses to date.

"Care to share, Rory?" He teases, knowing that she is thinking about something.

Smiling coyly at him she hesitantly, answers, "I like how your eyes sparkle like the morning sun, and how I can read your emotions in them."

Robert loves her poetic description of his eyes. No one ever spoke to him in sense a gentle and loving way as she just did.

Instead of answering he lets his body responds. He holds her face gently in his hands and traces her lip line with his tongue.

As his tongue lovingly grazes her lips, she parts them slightly and she lets his tongue enter to dance around with hers.

He brings one of his hands to the back of her head to deepen the passionate kiss.

Robert realizes that when he kisses her it feels like he is home, a place where he wants to be.

Breathless their lips part, but their foreheads remain together, wanting to be in close contact with each other.

She places a tender kiss on his neck and reaches into her Birkin Bag, tossing an envelope on the wooden bar.

"Enjoy your next clue, Robert. Finn will probably want to join you again and he could make the task easier," she says before they kiss goodbye.

He opens the envelope excited. Robert now realizes that Rory has maneuvered herself into his heart and that she is not like anyone else that he was involved with.

Smiling he reads, "Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. The third clue needs some digging in your past memories to create a new one. Throwback time…"

As a photographer, he's a fan of Throwback Thursday and the clue will probably make Finn very happy. Rory always manages to bring a smile to his face. He's thankful that she is such a caring person always thinking of others.


	13. Chapter 13

**Dear readers, I want to thank everyone for all your enthusiasm for my #TeamRobert story. I appreciate every comment very much. Please keep writing feedback, ClaudiaCleland**

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 **13 Chapter**

Still reveling in the memories of Rory's visit this morning, Robert traces the outline of his lips absentmindedly with his thumb. He already misses kissing her. Holding the paper with the latest clue of the scavenger hunt in his right hand, he wonders which moment of the many LDB gatherings he wants to recreate today.

The brigadiers held many crazy events, but Robert also took countless trips with Finn, Colin and Logan. Their adventurous journeys included jumping off cliffs and bungee jumping from famous bridges. He wonders if Finn would be any help choosing one of these adventures, he chuckles thinking of Finn's impulsive brain. It would probably get too hot like an overheated computer while jumping from one idea to another.

During the last couple of years, Robert had been on a lot of photoshoots where customers recreated memories from their past. He enjoyed recreating these events for his customers. He would find the clothes that would set the scene. This was always a big part of creating the right image. He sometimes would have them dress in similar clothing articles and colors or find the vintage clothing items that would help him recreate the memories that the customer wanted to save.

Robert sat in his office in the club for about an hour looking through the old pictures on his laptop. He decides the ideal throwback picture would be one of Rory's first Life and Death Brigade experience. Robert grabs his cell from his desk and calls Finn.

"G'day, Rob," Finn greets immediately after just one ring, sounding a bit annoyed with his thick Australian accent.

"Hi, Finn. What plans does my favorite Aussie have for today?" Robert asks.

"Well, mate, depends, according to my old-man's schedule or mine?" Finn questions while grinning a bit to himself, because Robert only calls him his favorite Aussie when Robert knows his father has called. It's a code word for them.

"Your father called again," Robert states rather than asks, knowing the answer due to Finn's passive aggressiveness in his voice when he answered the phone.

In addition Finn tends to shorten his name like all Australians after talking to fellow Australian countrymen. Robert is no fan of shorten his name like Finn did and Finn only forgets that when his father has called shortly before.

Before Finn can respond, Robert continues, "Ready for another adventure?"

"Sure, mate, in Omnia Paratus," Finn proudly shouts, as he leaves his office.

"I need you to be a target for my newest clue," Robert whispers conspiratorial. Finn always loves being a part of secrets.

"Awesome, I want to be a target," Finn smiles. The mysterious girl and her scavenger hunt seems cheer him up as well as Robert.

"I want to recreate the shooting with paintball guns on living targets like we did in our LDB events," Robert explains.

Finn dramatically shouts, "Your girl is a lifesaver, I am dying here from boredom this is just what I need to brighten up my day."

Robert laughs at Finn's response. Soon Robert should tell Finn who this mysterious girl is.

The two friends discuss their plan together for this next clue on the phone.

Ending his conversation with Finn, Robert rides the subway home to change of his clothes. He takes off his dark designer jeans and the dark blue shirt and puts on a black tuxedo with a black bow tie and white shirt like the one that he wore at the LDB event a long time ago. Standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, he looks at his reflection. He wonders if Rory is attracted to him now that he no longer has the boyish look that he had in the old photograph.

He grabs his photography equipment and the paintball gun and ammunition. His personal driver escorts Robert in his town car to the newest hotel Finn's family owns in Manhattan near the Four Seasons Hotel.

Robert steps out of the car and greets Finn who is wearing a similar outfit. They then walk inside a very old building.

Finn had suggested that his family's latest purchase would be the perfect place for their plan, since they had purchased this old hotel and plan on demolishing it to build a new hotel on the same property.

Walking inside Finn teases, "Robert, my friend, with all your equipment you look like a professional photographer."

Robert smiles, because none of his friends know about his photography business. He likes Finn, but if his crazy friend found out what type of photographs he takes and who his clients are Finn would probably never leave his side.

"Just a hobby Finn, we need a camera with an external autotimer that I can shoot, and you can jump," Robert replies feeling guilty about lying to him about his secret.

Finn and Robert walk through the hotel searching for several mattresses. They ask Robert's driver to carry them into the ballroom to protect their clothes.

Robert looks around the elegant ballroom with his dusty maple floor, despite being neglected for such a long time. To add more light into the room, they open the once golden tapestry curtains. Looking around the room, Robert sees the dust dancing in the daylight in this once elegant ballroom that has been left neglected for many years. The maple floor shows scratches and many of the light bulbs of the antique chandeliers are broken. The golden walls with the richly ornate columns between the large windows provide proof of elegance of the former luxury hotel.

Finn told him that for many years the owner of this grand hotel refused to sell it for sentimental reasons. Upon his death his children sold dividing up the profits and moving away.

While Robert gazes around his surroundings, Finn shouts while excitedly jumping up and down, "Get ready, Robert, I miss being a target."

Robert positions his equipment, the gun and the camera inclusive autotimer, in the proper places in the room and finally hollers, "Okay, I'm ready. Shout pull and jump. I will try my best to get an image at the right moment."

Finn climbs on a ladder he found in a room and shouts," Pull," before he leaps off the ladder to land on the piled mattresses.

Holding the trigger button on the extern autotimer in his left-hand Robert aims and shoots at Finn with his paintball gun. He checks on the display of his digital camera to see if he succeeded and likes the result. What an amusing idea, he smiles.

Finn ambles over and, looks at the picture and pouts, "Oh no, figures you got the shot the first time and I thought we can repeat it."

Chuckling Robert replies, "Nobody is here stopping us, Finn. We can repeat until my paintball is empty."

Happily, Finn sprints back to the ladder, and climbs to the highest point before he leaps shouting, "Pull."


	14. Chapter 14

**Dear readers, I'm very happy that so many readers share my #TeamRobert passion and thank you very much for your lovely comments so far. I'm sorry that my last updates needed more time than usual, but I'm dealing with some health issues now. Hopefully you will stay with me even if I will not update every week. Nevertheless, I promise to finish all my stories. Enjoy my newest chapter, ClaudiaCleland**

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 **14 Chapter**

At lunchtime Robert walks to his favorite café "Mudspot" in Manhattan. He planned to meet one of his friends here, instead of the random meetings he has had so far with Finn.

He chuckles thinking of the annoyed face of the waitress as he tried to avoid the letter 'e' on Wednesday. Robert searches for his table in the crowded café and sits down at one of the wooden tables in front of the plain brick wall.

Robert orders a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich and a bottle of water as he spots Colin strolling in with an unexpected guest. He laughs.

"Hi, Colin, I thought I only had called you," he teases smiling.

"Hello, Robert. Well, you know, our friend here was too excited that he would miss something. There was no chance at leaving him at home. He's like anannoying kid sometimes, one you never planned to get in the first place," Colin replies, laughing. He sits down after embracing Robert in a manly hug.

"This is not fair, I was a part of the earlier clues and now you replaced me with our most stuck-up friend."

Robert chuckles at Finn's comment. He likes both guys, but he's closer to Finn, "Come on Finn, sit down and I will explain my newest clue. Afterward you will understand why I chose Colin this time."

He pats Finn on his back before Finn sits down on the vintage chair, still pouting.

Colin smirks. "Pouting, Finn? Are you kidding us? You behave like a child sometimes. If you're nice I might treat you to an ice-cream as a reward."

Finn's face changes, "I love ice-cream, can I get one now? Please, Col?"

"I have no idea how you can live with him," Robert replies, earning a new pout from Finn.

"You get used to it," Colin replies, ignoring Finn and pointing to the dessert part of the menu.

"Okay, guys, I need help with the last clue of my Scavenger hunt..." Robert starts before Colin interrupts him.

"Finn already told me about your mysterious girl, but now I'm curious too. Do we know your lovely new lady?" Colin asks. All his friends know Robert loved Marissa more than his own life, but they're happy now that he might have finally found a new girl to open up his heart again.

Robert replies hesitantly, "Yes, you know her too," while avoiding the surprised gaze of his two friends. One day he needs to tell them about Rory, but he fears the consequences. Marissa was probably the same to him as Rory was for Logan. Or still is? That's his biggest fear about revealing his secret to his best friends, especially Logan. His heartbeats speed up as he notices Finn and Colin thinking about the possibilities of who she can be.

"Juliet?" Finn starts guessing. He continues as Robert shakes his head. "Oh, you managed to convince the lovely Rosemary?"

"Smiling Robert shakes his head again. Thinking about the endless unsuccessful trials of Finn to convince Rosemary to have sex with him while they were students at Yale, he laughs.

"Stephanie?" Finn guesses again.

Colin angrily interrupts Finn, "Are you kidding me? Robert would never start something with my girlfriend!"

"Okay, relax, mate, I just tried every female Life and Death Brigade members we were close too. It seems like the mysterious girl knows a lot about our secret society," Finn tries explaining his choices and calming down an extremely annoyed Colin.

Robert smiles at his bickering friends. Sometimes the two behave like an old married couple.

"As I already told our childish friend," he points his finger at Finn and gets another pout, "I'm not ready to reveal her to you now. But I promise I will do when we're getting as close as I hope we will get."

He blushes a bit. Admitting his feelings for Rory to himself was hard enough after his loss of Marissa but revealing them to Colin and Finn is a big step for him. He begins to fidget with his hands, he hopes they understand that it might be too soon for a new woman in his life.

"We all know how much you loved Marissa, Robert, take all the time you need," Colin answers.

Robert clears his throat; it's still awkward talking about Marissa. Every time he thinks about her he loses his ability to breathe. Losing her was the most traumatic experience in his life. He tries to concentrate on his breathing to avoid having another flashback. He takes a sip of his water and takes a deep breath. Smelling the aroma of the sandwich, the waitress brought two minutes ago, he tries hard to concentrate on where he is and not let his thoughts drift back to the past.

Finn watches Robert and remembers their talk on Monday about Robert's latest flashback. He is the only one who goes with Robert to his therapist when he becomes too depressed to leave his apartment. Finn hopes the mystery girl will be patient enough to understand Robert and his fears. He knows how hard it is for Robert to talk about Marissa and talking about her with a new girlfriend will probably be much harder. Finn worries about Robert. However, this week is the first he saw him happier than he has in the last two years. Finn hopes that everything will work out for Robert and that his fears of scaring her away will not come true.

"Bloody hell, we need some alcohol," Finn jokes and tries to lighten the mood.

He waves his hand to the blonde waitress and orders three beers. A smile plays on his lips as he thinks of the redheaded waitress from last night.

Colin admires the way Finn can change the tension at the table with a smile. He sometimes acts childish, but this skill was a lifesaver at this moment. Finn knows exactly when his friends need a joke.

Thanks to Finn, Robert begins to talk about the newest clue of his Scavenger hunt. Colin smiles at the way Robert's face lights up as he explains the clue. He deserves to find happiness after Marissa's death two years ago.


End file.
